er way toward the door. “Those dreams were buried under the call of war. I know my duty. I shall do it. But I will not leave my palace tonight. By noon tomorrow, I shall be ready to depart.” At the door, she spun around. "Prince Baku…you must know I will not come to our marriage pure as you would assume."
High Chancellor Bastien looked ready to collapse.
Ajali had frozen. “Xian—” he began warningly.
“And you must know that my heart belongs to another, and I cannot promise to love you if that is what you seek. I will respect our vows once they are made, and perhaps in time love will come. I will require at least six months of marriage before any consummation of our alliance for I wish to know the manner of man you are.” She feared they could hear the pounding of her heart. “Do you wish our joining still?”
“Princess! This is most unusual,” High Chancellor Bastien blustered. “And outrageous!”
Uriah uttered a choking sound, which he turned into a very unconvincing cough.
Prince Baku’s dark brown eyes had gone flat and assessing. For a moment he did not seem to be at all offended; rather, he seemed to be amused. “Of course. I have a harem; I assume a princess of Nuria has the same privileges as a prince and you’ve had consorts in the past. I do not require a pure bride, only that she is from the house of Phoenyx. And I believe a month of knowing each other should be sufficient for consummation.”
“Four months,” she said, returning his unflinching stare.
The prince smiled tightly. “Perhaps I’ll agree to three months, and no more.”
She canted her head left, then without saying another word, departed the chamber.
“Xian.”
She faltered at her name and turned to see Ajali in the hallway. His gaze was somber yet in his eyes she saw a fierce pride.
“Yes, brother?”
“Come, I wish to speak privately with you.”
She nodded and they flashed to the antechamber attached to the war council. A decadent and heady scent lingered on the air, and she sensed Gavyn had been in this room earlier.
“Uriah,” she greeted, mildly surprised to see him standing by the fireplace.
Ajali stood tense and rigid, Uriah sauntered over to stood by Ajali’s side, and they stared at Xian with intense compassion.
“There is more to be revealed,” she said, clasping her hand behind her back. This was more than a farewell, for that could have been done tomorrow when the convoy departed. She lifted her chin with arrogant pride, a gesture to indicate her acceptance of her duty.
They’d cossetted her all her life, even though she and her twin were the same age, he’d been allowed more freedom to serve his kingdom than her. And now when she was required to aid the kingdom it was as a bartering chip, not as a warrior. But never the less, she was a princess of the realm and would do her duty in this time of war, and damn them for thinking they needed to meet with her now to either coach or convince her of that.
Ajali slammed his closed first across his chest, a sign of respect from one warrior to another. Her throat went tight, and she repeated his honor with a bow.
“You honor me, Kalija.”
“Xian, you have progressed very well in your training these past few years. Though you have not been able to summon and control your Phoenyx, its latent power makes you a formidable warrior.” Pride blazed in Ajali’s dark green eyes as he spoke. “You are one of two Tenzu, a very valuable power to Nuria, a loved princess and a treasured and trusted Kaliji—little sister. All these things make you the only candidate for this covert mission. Do you accept?”
A covert mission, her heart beat faster than she would like at the implication of his words. She was not just a bartering chip, or a pretty princess to be married off for alliances. They both stared at her with anticipation, as though the next words from her lips could tip the tide of the upcoming war. “I accept,” she murmured. “What does my king require of me?”
“Your marriage to Prince Baku allows us to place Nuria within striking distance of the Avindar King should the need arise. He is a dangerous man and a very close ally to Emperor Khan. You are to infiltrate their kingdom and learn everything there is to learn. With the successful alliance between us and Avindar, there will be a division of loyalty, which makes it possible to render Avindar neutral in the upcoming war or weakened their kingdom by internal dissent. You are to ensure that such a divide in alliance is maintained. The consolidation of the powers between Avindar and Mevia will be catastrophic for the outcome of the war, so your placement inside Avindar is a valuable opportunity for us all.”
Cold, calculation shifted in the depth of his eyes as he walked over to her. “If Avindar decides to support Mevia only despite an alliance with Nuria, you are to use your blades and the fifty elite warriors to annihilate the royal family.” The words fell like a boulder in the room. A vicious but necessary act in the time of war. But one they were too closely familiar with.
Ajali continued, “There is also another more obvious possibility, Prince Baku’s intention is to lure a Phoenyx away from the walls of Nuria so they may capture you for the empire, given they failed to capture me. If that is his plan, they will attack in the vast wastelands where blame can be placed on the exiles. In that event, show no mercy, capture the prince so we may use him in the upcoming war or kill him if capture is not possible. Either one would be a critical blow to the heart of Avindar, though he is not their Crown Prince.” Ajali canted his head to the side as he considered her, for all she did was nodded her head to his mission outline.
“Do you think there is such a chance?”
“No. The only people who knows you are going to Avindar are in that council room and these are men I trust with my life and throne. We will keep your travels a secret for as long as possible, and you will leave through the secret’s paths of the mountains and not through the city. The kingdom will be notified after you’ve arrived in Avindar that you visited as an emissary of peace.”
She nodded.
He placed a reassuring hand atop her shoulder. “The fifty warriors travelling with you are well trained and understand their mission is your protection at all cost. If your convoy is attacked in the wasteland, they know a signal should be sent by them, a fire ball rippling through the sky. I will come for you if I see that signal. There is no where you can be taken that I cannot find you.” Ajali’s voice throbbed with violent power of the Phoenyx.